Top 21 Worst Ingredients in Today’s Food – A-Z Guide for you & your Family!
01 Aug 2011 1 Comment
in Baby & Child Health, cancer, Diet & Weight loss, genetically modified, organic food, Preggo Mama, Toxic Food Ingredients/Additives Tags: bad food ingredients, Corn syrup, Genetically modified organism, high fructose corn syrup, Hydrogenation, sugar, toxic food
Ever wonder what’s really in the food sold at grocery stores around the world? People keep asking me, “What ingredients should I avoid?” So I put together a short list that covers all the most toxic and disease-promoting ingredients in the food supply. These are the substances causing cancer, diabetes, heart disease and leading to tens of billions of dollars in unnecessary health care costs across America (and around the world).
If you want to stay healthy and out of the hospital, read ingredients labels and make sure you avoid all these ingredients:
Acrylamides – Toxic, cancer-causing chemicals formed in foods when carbohydrates are exposed to high heat (baking, frying, grilling). They’re present in everything from bread crusts to snack chips, and because they aren’t intentional ingredients, acrylamides do NOT have to be listed on labels.
Aspartame – Chemical sweetener that causes neurological disorders, seizures, blurred vision and migraine headaches. (http://www.naturalnews.com/030918_a…)
Autolyzed Proteins – Highly processed form of protein containing free glutamate and used to mimic the taste-enhancer chemical MSG.
BPA (Bisphenol-A) – A hormone mimicking chemical found in nearly all food packaging plastics. Active in just parts per billion, BPA promotes cancer, infertility and hormone disorders. It also “feminizes” males, promoting male breast growth and hormone disruption (http://www.naturalnews.com/032860_B…).
Casein – Milk proteins. Hilariously, this is widely used in “soy cheese” products that claim to be alternatives to cow’s milk. Nearly all of them are made with cow’s milk proteins.
Corn Syrup – Just another name for High Fructose Corn Syrup (see below). Frequently used in infant formula products (http://www.naturalnews.com/029863_S…).
Food Colors – FD&C Red #40, for example, is linked to behavioral disorders in children. Nearly all artificial food colors are derived from petroleum, and many are contaminated with aluminum.
Genetically Modified Ingredients – Not currently listed on the label because the GMO industry (Monsanto and DuPont) absolutely does not want people to know which foods contain GMOs. Nearly all conventionally grown corn, soy and cotton are GMOs. They’re linked to severe infertility problems and may even cause the bacteria in your body to produce and release a pesticide in your own gut. If you’re not eating organic corn, you’re definitely eating GMO corn. (http://www.naturalnews.com/026426_G…) Learn more at www.ResponsibleTechnology.org or watch my GMO music video (hilarious) at www.NaturalNews.com/NoGMO
High Fructose Corn Syrup – A highly processed liquid sugar extracted with the chemical solvent glutaraldehyde and frequently contaminated with mercury (http://www.naturalnews.com/032948_h…). It’s also linked to diabetes, obesity and mood disorders. Used in thousands of grocery items, including things you wouldn’t suspect like pizza sauce and salad dressings.
Homogenized Milk – The fats in the milk are artificially modified to change them into smaller molecules that stay in suspension in the milk liquid (so the milk fat doesn’t separate) (http://www.naturalnews.com/022967_m…). While it makes milk look better on the shelf, it’s also blamed for promoting heart disease and may contribute to milk allergies. Raw milk is healthier, which is why the government had outlawed it (http://www.naturalnews.com/029322_r…).
Hydrochloride – When you see anything hydrochloride, such as Pyridoxine Hydrochloride or Thiamin Hydrochloride, those are chemical forms of B vitamins that companies add to their products to be able to claim higher RDA values of vitamins. But these are synthetic, chemical forms of vitamins, not real vitamins from foods or plants. Nutritionally, they are near-useless and may actually be bad for you. Also watch out for niacinamide and cyanocobalamin (synthetic vitamin B-12). (http://www.naturalnews.com/032766_c…)
Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein – A highly processed form of (usually) soy protein that’s processed to bring out the free glutamate (MSG). Use as a taste enhancer.
Partially Hydrogenated Oils – Oils that are modified using a chemical catalyst to make them stable at room temperature. This creates trans fatty acids and greatly increases the risk of blocked arteries (http://www.naturalnews.com/027445_f…). It also promotes what I call “sludge blood,” which is thick, viscous blood that’s hard to pump. This is usually diagnosed by doctors as “high blood pressure” and (stupidly) treated with blood-thinning medications that are technically the same chemicals as rat poison (warfarin) (http://www.naturalnews.com/023149_d…).
Phosphoric Acid – The acid used in sodas to dissolve the carbon dioxide and add to the overall fizzy-ness of the soda. Phosphoric acid will eat steel nails. It’s also used by stone masons to etch rocks. The military uses it to clean the rust off battleships. In absolutely destroys tooth enamel (http://www.naturalnews.com/021774.html). Search Google Images for “Mountain Dew Mouth” to see photos of teeth rotted out by phosphoric acid: http://www.google.com/search?q=moun…
Propylene Glycol – A liquid used in the automotive industry to winterize RVs. It’s also used to make the fake blueberries you see in blueberry muffins, bagels and breads. (Combined with artificial colors and corn syrup.) See shocking “Fake Blueberries” video at: http://www.naturalnews.tv/v.asp?v=7…
Sodium (Salt) – The processed white salt lacking in trace minerals. In the holistic nutrition industry, we call it “death salt” because it promotes disease and death. Real salt, on the other hand, such as “dirty” sea salt or pink Himalayan salt, is loaded with the trace minerals that prevent disease, such as selenium (cancer), chromium (diabetes) and zinc (infectious disease). Much like with bread and sugar, white salt is terrible for your health. And don’t be fooled by claims of “sea salt” in grocery stores. All salt came from the sea if you go far back enough in geologic time, so they can slap the “sea salt” claim on ANY salt!
Sodium Nitrite – A cancer-causing red coloring chemical added to bacon, hot dogs, sausage, beef jerky, ham, lunch meats, pepperoni and nearly all processed meats. Strongly linked to brain tumors, pancreatic cancers and colon cancers (http://www.naturalnews.com/007024.html). The USDA once tried to ban it from the food supply but was out-maneuvered by the meat industry, which now dominates USDA regulations. Sodium nitrite is a complete poison used to make meats look fresh. Countless children die of cancer each year from sodium nitrite-induced cancers.
Soy Protein – The No. 1 protein source used in “protein bars,” including many bars widely consumed by bodybuilders. Soy protein is the “junk protein” of the food industry. It’s made from genetically modified soybeans (often grown in China) and then subjected to hexane, a chemical solvent (http://www.naturalnews.com/026303_s…) that can literally explode.
Sucralose – An artificial chemical sweetener sold as Splenda. The sucralose molecule contains a chlorine atom (http://www.naturalnews.com/027491_a…). Researchers have repeatedly found that artificial sweeteners make people fat by actually promoting weight gain (http://www.naturalnews.com/024543_h…).
Sugar – The bleached, nutritionally-deficient byproduct of cane processing. During sugar cane processing, nearly all the minerals and vitamins end up in the blackstrap molasses that’s usually fed to farm animals. (Blackstrap molasses is actually the “good” part of sugar cane juice.) Molasses is often fed to farm animals because every rancher knows that farm animals need good nutrition to stay alive. Amazingly, conventional doctors don’t yet realize this about humans, and they continue to claim that eating sugar is perfectly fine for you. Sugar promotes diabetes, obesity, mood disorders and nutritional deficiencies.
Textured Vegetable Protein – Usually made of soy protein which is extracted from genetically modified soybeans and then processed using hexane, an explosive chemical solvent (see Soy Protein, above). Widely used in vegetarian foods such as “veggie burgers” (most of which also contain MSG or Yeast Extract, by the way).
Yeast Extract – Hidden form of MSG that contains free glutamate and is used in many “natural” food products to claim “No MSG!” Yeast extract contains up to 14% free glutamate. You’ll find it in thousands of grocery store products, from soups to snack chips. I even once spotted it used on fresh meat!
Food label tricks
Here’s a trick food companies frequently used to pack more sugar into their products without making sugar look like the first ingredient:
Ingredient labels, you see, must list the most prominent ingredients first, and some consumers might freak out of they saw a box of cereal that said, “Sugar, whole grain wheat, corn” and so on. Instead, the company uses 3 or 4 different forms of sugar to distribute them farther down the label, like this:
“Whole grain wheat, sugar, corn syrup, corn syrup solids…”
This way, the first ingredients looks like “whole grain wheat” when, in reality, the cereal might be over fifty percent sugars!
How to buy honest food
• Shop are your local farmer’s market, food co-op or CSA.
• In the USA, look for the USDA Organic label on foods. This is a legitimate claim to being certified organic. It’s one of the few programs run by the USDA that actually has integrity.
• Read the ingredients labels! If you see names of chemicals you can’t pronounce, don’t buy it.
• Buy more unprocessed food ingredients and make your own meals rather than buying ready-to-eat, processed foods, which are almost universally formulated with disease-promoting ingredients.
• GROW some of your own food! The best food you can ever eat is food from your own garden.
Related articles
- Another Reason to Avoid High Fructose Corn Syrup: Mercury (fitsugar.com)
- High fructose corn syrup contaminated with mercury and made using a toxic chemical catalyst that can burn a hole in your stomach (talesfromthelou.wordpress.com)
Air Cooled vs Water Cooled Chickens: One Can be Deadly-Find out Which you Should Avoid
02 Mar 2011 Leave a Comment
in Health News, Baby & Child Health Tags: toxic food, salmonella, chicken, Antibiotic resistance, Water cooling, Organic Air Cooled Chicken
Image via Wikipedia
Most people today know that Salmonella is a potentially deadly infection that if not treated can pose a serious health risk. But what you probably did not know is that most of the chicken you purchase in your grocery store is water-cooled which has been said to aid the spread of salmonella and other deadly bacteria.
Once every few years, Consumer Reports conducts a national study on the safety of store-bought whole chickens. To do this, the magazine purchases various brands of whole broiler chickens from stores across the country and sends them to a laboratory that tests the chickens for Salmonella and Campylobacter bacteria. The magazine’s 2007 study was, at the time, the most extensive national survey of contamination and antibiotic resistance in store-bought chicken ever published. That study tested 525 fresh chickens from stores across 23 states, and included 10 organic and 12 nonorganic brands. The most recent study, the results of which are discussed in the magazine’s January 2010 issue, tested 382 chickens from more than 100 stores across 22 states. Both studies reached a similar conclusion: the majority of whole chickens sold in stores across the United States are contaminated with potentially deadly bacteria, and the government isn’t doing enough to fix the problem.
So what kind of chicken do you have in your fridge? Is is water-cooled or air-cooled and why does this matter? To find out the answers to your questions watch the video below. Its educational and humourous, I know you will enjoy it and learn a few things that could save you or a family member from a serious illness and even death.
Video: Does Your Chicken Need a Diaper?
Sources:
http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/08/20/salmonella.victims/index.html
http://www.foodsafetynews.com
Beware: These food additives cause kidney and adrenal gland tumors, hyperactivity disorders and severe migraines.
03 Dec 2010 Leave a Comment
in Allergies and Asthma, Baby & Child Health, Toxic Food Ingredients/Additives Tags: adrenal gland tumors, artificial food colorings, Food Additives, Food Colors, hyperactivity disorders, severe migraines, sun chips, toxic food
Image via Wikipedia
Lets talk about food coloring. But not your organic and naturally occurring food coloring such as orange from carrots or red from beets. Nope we are talking about artificial food coloring made in a lab not grandmas kitchen.
It’s no secret that artificial food colorings have been found to cause all kinds of health problems, including ADHD, tumors, cancer and asthma in children.
So what are we talking about? Here is a list of artificial food dyes currently used in the US:
- FD&C Blue No. 1 – Brilliant Blue FCF, E133 (Blue shade)
- FD&C Blue No. 2 – Indigotine, E132 (Dark Blue shade)
- FD&C Green No. 3 – Fast Green FCF, E143 (Bluish green shade)
- FD&C Red No. 40 – Allura Red AC, E129 (Red shade)
- FD&C Red No. 3 – Erythrosine, E127 (Pink shade) [4]
- FD&C Yellow No. 5 – Tartrazine, E102 (Yellow shade)
- FD&C Yellow No. 6 – Sunset Yellow FCF, E110 (Orange shade)
If you are interested in reviewing information on the effects these dyes have in children click here
Next time you reach for that bag of chocolate that melts in your mouth consider if satisfying your chocolate craving is worth sacrificing your health.
These dangerous food colorings are made with petroleum and contain coal-tar derivatives. And guess what; they are in more foods than you think. So what can you do? READ READ and then READ some more! After your done reading labels make it a point not to purchase any products that contain these dyes.
I don’t know what’s worse, the toxins disguised as food that cover the shelves of our supermarkets or the fact that the EPA and FDA does not require detailed testing of chemicals to determine the effects on humans. Yes its true – these chemicals just get made by mad scientists and then poof like an act of magic they are in your foods, no testing required.
Lets just review a few of these colors. Yellow 6 is widely used in jello, baked goods, drinks, sausages and other foods. In studies Yellow 6 has been linked to kidney and adrenal gland tumors.
You can find Red 40 in Sun Chips, Goldfish and many other snacks. It has been linked to hyperactivity disorders and severe migraines.
Blue 1 and 2 has been linked to cancer in mice. In 2003 Blue 1 leaked into a septic hospital patient’s bloodstream and caused death. Following this the FDA issued an advisory for the public. You can read more about that here
I could go on and on but the facts are quite clear. This stuff is poison – stay away from it and definitely don’t give it to your children. That means skipping M&M’s, non organic lollipops, most non organic mustard’s, some ketchup’s, certain over the counter medicines and many other food items. I know that in our case my son who is now 10 began to vomit violently and would have terrible asthmatic attacks immediately after consuming anything with red dye. It was something I discovered on my own and we have made it a point to stay away from any artificial colorings since before he turned 2.
Oh and just in case this article doesn’t phase you I thought I would mention that when you eat most non organic yogurt and candy said to have strawberry flavor or strawberries in them your actually eating bug juice. Its a red color ingredient called Carmine and its made by mashing up bugs and getting out the juice from them. This is done in developing nations then it is sold and shipped to ignorant buyers in the US. Not only do I find this nasty but there are potential health risks associated with this red bug juice. If you don’t believe me click here
Remember – colors are your friends when they are naturally found in foods such as sweet potatoes, beets, carrots, spinach, curcumin and many other life building foods. But beetle juice and mad scientist coloring additives are the enemy so run my friend and don’t look back lest you get trapped!
For more information click on the articles below:
Death by M&M: The Problem with Food Dyes
Kellogg’s Nutri-Grain bars are made with natural colorings in Britain but contain food dyes in the United States
Do Food Dyes Harm Kids? The FDA Finally Wants to Know
Food Manufacturers Ban Food Dyes in Europe to Protect Kids, but Not in the U.S.
Food Inc. – A Must See Film
30 Mar 2010 1 Comment
in Baby & Child Health, food inc., genetically modified, Health News, Organic Living Video's, Toxic Food Ingredients/Additives Tags: contaminated meat, E. coli, farmers, food inc, genetically modified food, GMO, happy pigs, harmful bacteria, Monsanto, organic food, salmonella, toxic food
Foodies, Readers and Cheap food eaters; I come to bury our current food system not to praise it!
Sorry Shakespeare – but I had to change those famous lines of yours.
So – what are you eating these days?
Did you know that your child could die from contaminated ground beef? See here for a recent news article.
Or better yet do you know what has been found in your favorite fast food burgers. Did you know that it’s possible to find cow poop in your burgers along with a tasteful dose of ammonia?
I hope your freaking out, Lord knows I was when I first learned of this years ago. Who knew that one day we would be eating food treated with toxic ammonia. Does anyone think this is insane???? For more on ammonia in your burgers read this recent NY Times article A must read if you don’t eat Organic meats, if you buy fast food and or have children in public schools.
Now, getting back to the title of this blog; Food Inc. is a movie I highly recommend you watching. You can get it by visiting your locally library to check out a copy or rent it from Amazon’s Video on Demand at a cheap $2.99.
Below is what the movie’s website has to say about the film:
“In Food, Inc., filmmaker Robert Kenner lifts the veil on our nation’s food industry, exposing the highly mechanized underbelly that has been hidden from the American consumer with the consent of our government’s regulatory agencies, USDA and FDA. Our nation’s food supply is now controlled by a handful of corporations that often put profit ahead of consumer health, the livelihood of the American farmer, the safety of workers and our own environment. We have bigger-breasted chickens, the perfect pork chop, herbicide-resistant soybean seeds, even tomatoes that won’t go bad, but we also have new strains of E. coli—the harmful bacteria that causes illness for an estimated 73,000 Americans annually. We are riddled with widespread obesity, particularly among children, and an epidemic level of diabetes among adults.
Featuring interviews with such experts as Eric Schlosser (Fast Food Nation), Michael Pollan (The Omnivore’s Dilemma, In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto) along with forward thinking social entrepreneurs like Stonyfield’s Gary Hirshberg and Polyface Farms’ Joel Salatin, Food, Inc. reveals surprising—and often shocking truths—about what we eat, how it’s produced, who we have become as a nation and where we are going from here.”
To view a trailer of the movie click here here
Not only is this film portraying actual happenings in the food industry it informs the public on the potential hazards that certain foods can cause to our health. I highly recommend this video for adults and children. My 5 and 9 year old children sat through the whole movie and they were amazed and had tons of questions afterwards. If you really want to make an impact you can always go to the Food Inc. website and download materials that will help you host discussions and raise awareness.
To eat or not to eat that is the question…
Who's saying what